


Can't Take It Any More!

by GeesCLUELESSgirl



Category: 21 Pilots-minor, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco-minor
Genre: Bullying, High School AU, Homophobic Language, M/M, Mention of child neglect and abuse, Other, Student/teacher relationship, Use of the C Word, Violence, mention of sexual abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 12:37:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12190140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeesCLUELESSgirl/pseuds/GeesCLUELESSgirl
Summary: Gee's life was not the best...in fact, it was very far from it.When he was just 5 years old, his mother and his baby brother Mikey had died in a car crash, leaving his father to bring him up alone.On the day of the accident Gee was unwell, so he'd stayed home with his dad, while his mom took Mikey to the supermarket...Gee never saw them again, and he didn't get to say goodbye.Gee's father, Don Way, blamed Gee for their deaths. He said that if Gee hadn't been ill, his mom, Donna, would've been taking him to school, and she wouldn't have been on the bridge when that 18 wheeler lost control.Don and Gee had never been that close to begin with, but ever since the accident, Gee found himself living in a nightmare.___________________________________





	Can't Take It Any More!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [@momiji_neyuki](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=%40momiji_neyuki), [RedRomRomance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRomRomance/gifts), [thePetetoherPatrick](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thePetetoherPatrick/gifts).



> One shot, was originally a chapter fic I wrote on MCRFF, but now it's here, I thought it would be better like this.
> 
> Hope you enjoy, and if you do, please comment...if you don't, at least try to keep your comments polite. Thank you.  
> Xxx
> 
> __________________________________

Gee's life was not the best...in fact, it was very far from it.

 

When he was just 5 years old, his mother and his baby brother Mikey had died in a car crash, leaving his father to bring him up alone.  
On the day of the accident Gee was unwell, so he'd stayed home with his dad, while his mom took Mikey to the supermarket...Gee never saw them again, and he didn't get to say goodbye.  
Gee's father, Don Way, blamed Gee for their deaths. He said that if Gee hadn't been ill, his mom, Donna, would've been taking him to school, and she wouldn't have been on the bridge when that 18 wheeler lost control.

Don and Gee had never been that close to begin with, but ever since the accident, Gee found himself living in a nightmare.

It had started with cruel words and neglect...Gee practically having to take care of himself, but it wasn't long before it progressed to rough hands, pushing, punching, and sometimes kicking.  
When Gee turned eight, things took an even more unsettling turn. Don decided that he was lonely.  
Two days after Gee's birthday...not that he got to celebrate it, or even realised it had happened...apparently Don figured that Gee was now old enough for his next level of abuse...sexual abuse.

Every day, Gee would be beaten and kicked, then go to school to be tormented, spat on and shoved into lockers, before going home to be beaten again...and quite often raped.

And now, Gee is three months away from graduation. He's a smart boy, so he should get ok grades, but it's art class that he excels in, and he's been offered a scholarship to an arts college in Los Angeles. They have even said that they would pay his travel expenses to get there, which is lucky, cause he couldn't hope to attend otherwise.

 

*** _Time stamp...Monday morning, first day of the last term of High school_ ***

 

Gee woke early and crept downstairs in hopes of finding something to eat. It was four days since he'd eaten, and he knew he couldn't last much longer like this. That was another of Don's tortures...refusing the boy food.

It was 4:40am, so Don was still snoring loudly in his bed as Gee slipped into the kitchen and raided the refrigerator, finding a couple of slices of slightly stale bread, a lump of questionable looking cheese, and 15 cans of beer...way to prioritise dad.  
Rolling his eyes, Gee picked up the bread, and closed the fridge door, quietly.

Heading back to his tiny, dark room, Gee put the bread on his bedside, and got himself ready for school.

All of Gee's clothing, he'd gotten from the goodwill. The jeans had rips in them and the shirts were mostly faded, but they fit, and reflected his taste for metal and punk music. They suited him, so he didn't care that they were at least second hand.  
Pulling on a pair of black skinny jeans, that weren't really all that skinny on him, cause he was so Goddamn thin, a long sleeved Iron Maiden shirt and a pair of Vans that had seen better days, Gee slid his battered sketchbook into his messenger bag, along with his pencil case, and all the homework he'd been given before the holidays, and had managed somehow to finish last night, then swung the bag onto his shoulder, picked up his dry stale bread and tiptoed out of the house.

It was only 5:15am, and school wasn't due to start until 8, so he would have to find somewhere to spend the next two hours forty-five minutes, that was as far from his dad as humanly possible, and out of sight of the school's bullies when they arrived.  
Gee knew the perfect place...the front step of Rosebud's Sweet Shop, on Joralemon Street.

The owner, a lady called Rose-Marie Buddle, would always give him a few sweets for free if he was upset, and had fed him and hidden him from his bullies on more than one occasion.  
Of course, the shop wouldn't be open until seven, but Gee was sure that Rosy, as she'd instructed him to call her, would have no objection to his hanging out in front of her store till then.

When he reached Rosebud's, having eaten his stale bread on the way, Gee settled down on the step, and retrieved his sketchbook and pencil case from his bag, before turning to the drawing he'd been working on for the last week or so, and continued trying to perfect the picture.  
It was a portrait of a man he'd seen on the last day of the previous term.

Gee was just leaving the nurse's room, after having a panic attack in Spanish class when Mr Cortez shouted at him for not knowing the Spanish for "I want to hire a bicycle", when he'd literally bumped into this man as he left the principle's office.  
The man apologised, saying that he wasn't looking where he was going, then winked at the startled boy and walked away.

Gee hadn't been able to get him off his mind since that day, even though he knew that he would probably never see him again.  
The man was a fraction shorter than average, with bronzed and tattooed skin, including what appeared to be a scorpion on the side of his neck. He had a strong jawline, big, heavily lidded hazel eyes, and a wide, bright smile, that sent bats flying laps around Gee's stomach.  
The guy was beautiful, and Gee knew he'd never stand a chance with someone like that, but it was ok to dream, right?

Gee added flashes of colour to the man's eyes...God, how he wanted to drown in those eyes. Gee sighed.

"Never gonna happen..."

He murmured to himself.

"He'd never want a loser like me."

Gee looked at the cheap plastic watch on his wrist, and saw that it was nearly seven. One more hour, and Hell begins again. He sighed. Three months, and he could leave this nightmare behind...he just had to survive those three, long months.  
He just wasn't so sure that he could.

"Hello Gee. You're here early."

Rosy said as she climbed out of her beat-up old car, locking the door and walking towards him, a bright smile on her face, but concern in her pale blue eyes.  
Gee looked up from his drawing, his own soft smile tugging at his lips. He nodded slightly as he stood up to let her past, his sketchbook clung tight to his chest.

"D-dad was very d-drunk l-last night."

He stuttered quietly, his smile fading and his head dropping. Rosy was one of a very few people that Gee would speak to. Many at school actually thought he was mute.

"Well then..."

Rosy smiled, unlocking the door to her shop, and inviting the thin boy inside.

"I guess you'd like a hot chocolate then, huh?..."

Gee's eyes lit up as his head bobbed in excitement. Rosy chuckled.

"And something to eat?..."

Grateful tears glistened in Gee's eyes, quickly brushed away with the back of his hand.

"Blueberry waffles?"

Gee grinned, nodding happily. Rosy led him through to the little back room and sat him down at the table in the corner, then set about preparing their food.  
Rosy was like the mother that Gee had lost...that he'd never really known. She was sweet and kind. She never judged him, but would always listen if he needed to talk.  
Gee was pretty sure that if it hadn't been for Rosy...he wouldn't of still been alive.

Rosy hummed some old tune that Gee didn't know as she poured the waffle mix that she'd just made into an ancient waffle maker, that looked like it was created back in the stone-age. Gee didn't care what it looked like...Rosy had made him waffles in it before, and they were always delicious...that's all that mattered.

He watched as she bustled around the tiny kitchenette, collecting plates and mugs, melting a large bar of dark chocolate in a pot, adding heavy cream and cinnamon along the way, before pouring the thick, rich, chocolatey goodness into the two large mugs, and setting one in front him.

"Whipping cream?"

She asked, already scooping some on top of his drink, as she knew what his answer would be, then sprinkling white chocolate shavings on top.

"Th-thank you, R-Rosy."

Gee smiled, scooping up some cream on his finger and sticking it in his mouth as she returned her attention to the waffles.  
A couple of minutes later, they were both sat at the table enjoying their breakfasts.

Rosy didn't know the full extent of Gee's father's cruelty and abuse, but she knew that he got drunk, she knew that he hit and it was pretty obvious that he wasn't feeding the boy properly...if at all.  
If she could, Rosy would take the boy in. Gee was such a sweet, polite young man, and she hated to see him getting hurt, but the fact was that she just didn't have the room in the tiny studio apartment she owned above the hairdressers over on Washington Avenue.  
Three months time, he'd be going off to college though...leaving Belleville and his abusive dick of a father far behind him. Until then, she would do whatever she could to make his life that little bit easier.

Gee couldn't finish the waffles, however much he wanted to, because his stomach just wasn't used to food right now, and had shrunk to an unhealthily tiny size. He frowned as he looked at the leftovers on his plate. He didn't want to seem rude.

"S-sorry R-Rosy..."

He mumbled.

"I'm f-full."

Rosy shook her head.

"You don't need to apologise sweetheart. I understand..."

It was true, she did understand, as her eldest daughter Rebecca had suffered from anorexia in her youth, and had struggled to eat enough once she began to recover.

"How about I make you a sandwich to take for your lunch later?..."

She asked with a wink. Gee nodded gratefully.

"Cheese and tomato?"

Again, Gee nodded, taking a final sip of his now cooled hot chocolate, then picking up their plates and mugs, and taking them over to the sink in the corner, putting the plug in and starting to run hot water into the bowl.

"Oh no..."

Rosy reached around him to turn the faucet off, and steered him back toward the table.

"You're my guest, and I won't have you cleaning up. I'll do that when you go."

Gee smiled and reached out as she turned away, his hand touching her arm. She turned back.

"Th-thank y-you Rosy..."

He murmured.

"D-don't kn-ow what I'd d-do w-with-out y-you."

Rosy smiled and leaned in to give him a gentle hug...she could feel his ribs through his shirt.

"You're always welcome here Gee...I just wish that I could do more."

Gee shook his head against her shoulder.

"Y-you d-do enough..."

He lifted his head to meet her eyes.

"M-more than a-any-one e-else e-ever has."

Rosy smiled sadly, hugging him against her for another moment or two, before letting go to fix his sandwich.  
Gee sat back down and watched her work. He wasn't sure how old Rosy was, but he thought that she must at least be in her sixties, and as far as he could tell, she worked in her little sweet shop every day, from seven am to six pm...all on her own. He wasn't sure quite how she did it.

When she had finished making Gee's sandwich, she wrapped it in Saran Wrap, then put it in a Tupperware box.

"Do you want an apple too?"

She asked, turning back to him.

"Y-yes p-please."

Gee nodded. Rosy opened her little fridge and pulled out a bright green apple, knowing Gee's preference for them over red ones, and put that in the box too, before adding a juice box then closing the lid and handing it over.

"Now...you better run along. Don't want to be late, do you?"

Gee rolled his eyes, sighing deeply as he put the lunch box into his bag, along with his sketch book and pencil case.

"N-no...wouldn't want th-that."

Rosy laughed as she ushered him back through the shop.

"Come back after school if you want. I'll make you some pasta."

Gee smiled, leaning in to place a kiss on her soft cheek.

"O-0k. S-see you l-later."

Rosy watched him go and prayed that he'd make it through another torturous day, then turned to start opening up her shop. So, she was fifty minutes late opening...Gee was worth it to her.

As Gee approached the gates of Hell, or school as most called it, he was struck by a sudden desire to run the other way. But this feeling was nothing new to Gee, so he hitched his bag up on his shoulder, ducked his head low, and headed inside. God help him...the nightmare begins.

Gee walked past the jocks and cheerleaders who were lounging about on the front steps, occasionally making rude comments about, or to the other students as they were passing.  
Gee wasn't so lucky to just get words, as some dick, who was, by some odd coincidence, actually _called_ Dick, stuck his foot out, and sent Gee sprawling on the hard concrete steps, to a chorus of loud, raucous laughter.

Gee's already bruised ribs struck the edges of the stairs, as he failed to catch himself with his hands. Not that that would've hurt any less, as he was almost certain that his left wrist was broken...but what're you gonna do?  
Gasping in pain, Gee hauled himself back to his feet, and scurried away into the school, ignoring the taunts and threats that followed behind him.  
Was it stupid to think they might leave him alone for just today?...probably.

He made his way through the hallways toward his homeroom, but detoured to the men's room instead.  
Walking in, he went to the last stall, and locked himself in, putting his back to the door, and sliding down till he was crouched on the ground...well, _you_ wouldn't sit on the floor of a toilet that was frequented by teenage boys...would you?

Sighing shakily, Gee wiped his hands over his wet eyes. He wouldn't let them see him cry. They already called him "pussy" and "loser", amongst others...he didn't need "cry baby" added to the list.

"Three months..."

He whispered to himself.

"Just three more months."

When the door to the men's room slammed open, Gee bit his lip to keep quiet and carefully stood up, then moved to crouch on the toilet seat, so whoever had just entered wouldn't see his feet. Familiar voices met the thin boy's ears.

"Did you see his fuckin' face?...thought 'e was gonna cry right there!"

(Tyler. Jock.)

"I thought he was gonna wet himself..."

(Dick.)

"Fuckin' funny!"

"Ya should've kicked him in the head while 'e was down!"

(Meadow, cheerleader bitch)...what the fuck was she doing in the men's room?

"Fag got up too quick..."

(Dick.)

"Who knew emos could run that fast?...perhaps he should go for track."

Silence, then they all collapsed into laughter again before changing the subject and leaving the bathroom.  
Gee sat trembling for a few minutes more, not daring to move in case they returned. When the bell rang, indicating five minutes till homeroom, he shakily climbed down, wincing at the pain that shot through his body, then timidly unlocked the stall door and peered out. The room was empty, and Gee sighed in relief, before checking in the water-stained mirror that his tears weren't evident. His eyes were a little red, but that could be put down to hay fever...though everyone in school would probably know that it wasn't.  
Hitching his bag up on his shoulder, Gee left the pungent room and turned right.

His home room was in the art/music corridor, his favourite part of the school, even though it was populated by jerks and assholes. Walking in, he saw all the jocks from before, and no teacher. Fuck!

They hadn't spotted him yet, so he quietly slipped into his seat at the front, just to the right of the teacher's desk. Where was Mr. Lambert?  
Gee kept his head down, hiding in his hair as the classroom filled up around him. Suddenly he felt something strike his left shoulder. So, it begins.

He glanced down to see what had hit him...it was a screwed up piece of paper. Gee ignored it and went back to studying the badly worded, and wrongly spelt insults that were carved into his desk. His favourite read _'Choke on two cocks and dye, bent fag!,_  
Something else hit him on the back of his head, and actually hurt. He turned to look...it was a fucking book.

"Yo, Gayfag..."

Tyler shouted as he approached Gee's desk. The name was kinda redundant, but it still made most of the class laugh. Gee's lip wobbled.

"I'm talkin' to you, freak!"

Tyler shoved Gee's head forcefully onto the table.

"Perhaps 'e's as deaf as 'e is fuck ugly."

Meadow put in her two cents.

"Nah..."

Tyler grunted, still holding Gee down with a hand on the back of his neck.

"He's just a dumb cunt."

"That it?...y' dumb, fag?"

Meadow's voice was really annoying Gee now. Tears rolled from his eyes as the gang descended upon him. Words and fists hit with equal force, and Gee curled in on himself.

"WHAT THE FUCK'S GOING ON IN HERE?..."

A man's voice bellowed from the doorway. Everyone's head snapped around, and the room fell silent. Tyler still hadn't let go of Gee's neck, so Gee couldn't turn to look.

"I said..."

The man ground out through clenched teeth, rage evident in his tone.

"What the FUCK is going on?"

Gee squirmed, trying to break free. Tyler must've suddenly realised that he was still pinning the other boy down, cause he suddenly let go and stepped back.

"We...we were..."

Gee jumped up abruptly and ran blindly from the room.

"All of you, sit down and keep quiet."

The as yet unknown man barked, before running after the thin pale boy.  
He hadn't seen the boy's face, just black hair and a flash of almost paper-white skin...and what appeared to be fingertip bruises on the boy's throat...though he couldn't be sure.  
The boy had vanished into a supply closet at the end of the hallway...the man had seen the door shut. Well, it was less obvious than the toilets.  
As he reached the door, he could hear muffled sobs from within.

"Err...hello?..."

He asked, tentatively. The sobbing stopped with a hiccupy gasp.

"Are you ok?..."

No answer.

"I'm your new home room teacher, Mr. Iero...but you can call me Frank. What's your name?"

There was a quiet sob again, then a tiny voice spoke through the door. It was so quiet that Frank only just heard it.

"Gee."

"Gee?...nice to meet you..."

Frank could tell that Gee was sat on the floor in there, so he crouched down on his side to continue the conversation.

"Y' know...this would be a lot easier if you'd let me in?"

Gee thought about this and realised, what the hell...couldn't make it any harder, right?  
With a shaky hand, he reached up and turned the door handle. It wasn't locked and Gee appreciated the fact that Frank had let him open it in his own time.

Frank stood up quickly as the door opened a little. He glanced back at his classroom, hoping that the other teenagers were still too shocked by his appearance to abscond from class or destroy the place, then slipped inside the small, dark room.  
He saw a light switch, and flicked it on, before closing the door, and sinking down to his knees in front of Gee.

Gee was sat with his back to the wall, his knees pressed up to his chest, and his face buried in his arms. His longish black hair hiding what wasn't buried.

"Are they always like that?..."

Frank asked, gently. Gee sniffed, nodding his head slightly.

"And is it only directed at you?"

Again Gee nodded, then slowly lifted his head a little to peek at this new teacher, who he still hadn't really seen. As their eyes met through Gee's curtain of hair, his head suddenly snapped up.

"It's you!"

Cause right in front of the surprised young man, sat the same man that Gee had been drawing and thinking about since he was last in this building. Gee's heart raced slightly, and he didn't know what else to say...would Frank even remember him?...unlikely.  
Frank grinned at him.

"Well...I was hoping I'd run into _you_ again."

'YES!!'...Gee cheered in his head, a soft blush pinking his pale white cheeks.

"Y-you remember me?"

Gee said, quietly; not quite believing it.

"Of course I do!..."

Frank exclaimed.

"I was all set to turn this job down, til I bumped into you."

Gee's eyes widened and his cheeks pinked more.

"Me?...why?"

Frank smiled softly.

"I went to this school; hated every minute of it..."

He began, shuffling into a more comfortable position on his bottom, and crossing his legs.

"When I got the interview, I had no other options, so I said I'd come. That very morning, a private arts college in New York that I'd applied for a job at called and offered me a position. I accepted, but decided to come to the interview here anyway, just to see if the place had changed at all..."

He laughed, shaking his head.

"If anything, it was worse than I remember..."

Gee smiled slightly at this.

"I told the principal that I'd let him know when I'd had time to think, cause I couldn't face saying no to him in person, and I left..."

Frank grinned.

"That's when I ran into you..."

Gee nodded, a shy smile on his lips.

"You looked so lost and kinda defeated, that I decided then and there that I'd take the job, cause maybe I'd be able to help...and if there's one kid here who needs help, perhaps there's more. I figured I could do more good here than in some rich kid's college."

"Oh..."

Gee looked down at his hands...he'd been stupid enough to think it was actually _him_ that made Frank take the job, not just the fact that he was a pathetic loser; like there was a connection or something. Sighing quietly, Gee held back his tears and looked back up.

"M-maybe we sh-should get back t-to c-class."

Frank frowned.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Gee shook his head, offering a small, pained smile.

"No...b-but the other k-kids might t-trash the p-place if y-you don't g-go b-back."

He started to climb back to his feet, wincing as pain shot through his ribs, stealing his breath away.

"Gee!..."

Frank gasped, scrambling up as Gee's knees threatened to give way, and catching him before he fell.

"Easy there..."

He lowered the thin boy onto a chair that had been left in the corner.

"I should get the nurse."

He muttered, looking worriedly at Gee's pale face.

"N-no..."

Gee stammered.

"I'm...I'm ok."

Frank crouched down in front of him, trying to meet his eye. When Gee continued to stare at the grubby floor, Frank reached up and lifted the boy's chin with his hand. Their eyes met, and Frank swallowed hard.

"I shouldn't tell you this..."

Gee tilted his head slightly, silently asking Frank to carry on. Frank sighed.

"I also took this job cause I thought you were fucking cute..."

He whispered, conspiratorially.

"I still do."

He smirked. Gee suddenly felt light headed, and like he was having an out of body experience.

"I...I...err..."

He swallowed heavily, blinking his wide eyes.

"I'm sorry!..."

Frank panicked.

"I shouldn't have said that!...please, just forget I said anything?"

Gee shook his head, trying to get his hearing to start working again, as all he could hear was buzzing. He knew he was about to pass out, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

"D-don't wanna f-for-get."

And then his eyes rolled back and he collapsed forward off the chair and straight into Frank's waiting arms.

"Gee?...Gee!..."

Frank rolled the boy onto his back and checked for a pulse.

"Gee, wake up...come on babe..."

Frank patted the pale boy's cheek. Gee stirred slightly, a small moan escaping his thin, pink lips. Frank took a moment to study the boy.  
Gee was very pale, almost paper-white, and far thinner than was healthy...Frank suspected an eating disorder, he'd have to keep an eye on that. He could also see that he was correct before; there were fingerprint bruises on the boy's pale throat, and they looked like they'd been there a while...they weren't from that asshole back in class, or at least, not from just now. He wondered how many other bruises littered his thin body...he'd said they bully him a lot, had they got to him during the break too?

Gee groaned, his eyes fluttering a little. Frank snapped out of his thoughts and smiled softly at him.

"Welcome back..."

He hummed, gently restraining Gee as he tried to sit up.

"Easy sweetheart...take it slow."

Gee whimpered quietly as he felt hands on his chest. He didn't like being held down; it was too familiar a feeling. A sob escaped his lips.

"L-let m-me g-go..."

He stuttered, struggling weakly. The hands disappeared from his chest and he tried to calm his slightly panicked breathing.

"Th-thank you."

Frank frowned. Gee seemed so scared...those bastards had really done a number on him.

"Gee?...open your eyes babe..."

Gee's breath hitched. Who would call him 'babe'?...and why?  
Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, and he was met by a beautiful pair of hazel orbs, and a wide, happy and relieved grin.

"Hi..."

Frank murmured.

"How do you feel?"

Gee tried to sit up again, and this time Frank helped him instead of stopping him. Once he was upright, Gee shivered slightly, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Cold."

He replied, quietly. Frank made a snap decision and took off his cardigan, before putting it around the shaky boy's shoulders.

"Better?..."

He asked. Gee nodded slightly, then wriggled his arms into the sleeves and pulled them down over his hands. Frank grinned.

"Looks cute on you..."

Gee blushed a pale rose pink and dropped his head, hiding in his hair.

"Gee?..."

Gee looked up through his lashes.

"You said before that you didn't want to forget."

"Huh?"

Gee frowned slightly, his brain not quite catching on. Frank smiled.

"You said you didn't want to forget what I said...y'know...about thinking you're fucking cute?..."

He looked down.

"Did you...did you mean it?"

Frank was nervous now. He barely knew this boy, and he was asking this?...what if he hadn't meant it, and was gonna tell someone that Frank had come on to him?

"Yes..."

Gee whispered. Frank's face lit up as he raised his eyes to meet the pretty greens.

"B-but it doesn't matter."

Frank's smile slipped.

"What do you mean?"

Gee looked down again, sighing in resignation.

"You're a t-teacher, I'm a student...th-things like that can n-never work. Besides, in three months time, I'm l-leaving...I'm going to California."

He didn't say that that was dependant on him surviving that long. No need to say that. Frank frowned.

"Well, the student teacher thing doesn't bother me...you're 18, right?..."

Gee nodded, and Frank smiled.

"But the you moving away thing..."

He sighed.

"I guess, if this goes anywhere...and I hope it does...then we can cross that bridge when we get to it."

Gee chewed on his lip, a small crease appearing between his brows as he considered this.

"I...I guess..."

He wasn't sure if this was a good idea. If he let Frank get too close, he could find out about his dad...that would not be a good thing. As his dad had always told him; no one would believe the word of a useless little fag...and if they did, they would say it was his fault, cause he'd caused his mom's death...they would hate him for that.

"I just..."

He shrugged, looking glum.

"I n-never..."

He trailed of, staring at the floor between them. Frank raised his hand and gently tucked Gee's hair behind his ear, gaining a tiny smile in response.

"Is that what you're worried about?..."

Gee shrugged.

"Sweetie..."

Frank lifted Gee's chin so he could see his eyes.

"I would never pressure you to do anything you're not comfortable with. If you just wanted to be friends...just wanted someone to talk to...a shoulder to cry on...that'd be ok."

Gee smiled softly.

"That...that'd be nice actually. I...I haven't got any f-friends."

He looked down at his hands, embarrassed.

"Oh come on..."

Frank said, incredulously.

"Surely a sweet, cute boy like you has at least one friend?"

Gee smiled slightly.

"Well, there's Rosy."

Frank quirked an eyebrow.

"Rosy?...should I be jealous?"

He smirked and Gee laughed. Frank thought it was the best sound he'd ever heard.

"Only if y-you think a sixty-something year old w-woman is a threat?..."

Gee smiled as Frank's other brow rose to join the first.

"She owns the s-sweet shop on Joralemon s-street. She hides me from those j-jerks sometimes."

Frank grinned.

"You get free sweets from her too?"

He was fishing. He hoped Gee would take the bait. Gee nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah...and she m-made me blueberry w-waffles this morning."

He grinned. Frank smiled back. Maybe it wasn't an eating disorder that he needed to worry about. But then, why was Gee so thin?

"You like waffles?"

"Oh yeah...they're yummy and she did hot chocolate too...from scratch."

Gee's eyes were lit up like fireworks...he couldn't be faking that.  
Suddenly, Frank's cell buzzed in his pocket, and he smiled apologetically as he pulled it out and looked at the screen. He winced when he saw that it was the front office, took a deep breath then pressed answer.

"Hello?...Oh yes. I'm sorry about that...Yes. There was a problem with a student...Yes, I know...I should've, yes...Ok...Well thank you...Ok...Yes, I'll be back for my next class...Ok...Ok, bye..."

He hung up and stared at the phone for a moment before slipping it back in his pocket.

"Damn."

He muttered.

"Did..."

Gee dropped his head.

"Did I g-get you in t-trouble?"

Frank reached out and carefully wrapped his arms around Gee's fragile body.

"No...no baby..."

He shook his head, holding Gee gently to his chest as he felt him tense, then go limp against him.

"It's not your fault. I should've called the office and got cover for my class...that was my mistake...not yours."

Gee looked up through wet lashes.

"B-but if I h-hadn't r-run..."

He sobbed, burying his face into Frank's shoulder.

"And that wasn't your fault either..."

Frank pressed a kiss to the top of Gee's head.

"Those assholes aren't going to get away with this anymore...I won't let them."

Gee sighed, looking up with sad eyes.

"Thank you, but they w-won't stop."

Frank frowned.

"They will...unless they want me up their ass 24/7!"

Gee giggled. Frank had been wrong before!... _that_ was the best sound he'd ever heard. He grinned.

"And..."

Gee blushed raspberry red.

"And I th-thought you o-only had eyes f-for me?"

Frank laughed loudly. This boy was amazing...and if Frank could help it, he would never let him go. He kissed Gee's bright cheek .

"Only you baby...only you."

Gee smiled brightly and snuggled into Frank's arms. A few more minutes couldn't hurt, right?  
But a few more minutes was all it could be, as way too soon the bell sounded, signalling the end of homeroom and five minute warning for the first class of the day. Frank sighed dramatically.

"I wish I could stay here with you all day..."

He murmured, gently rocking the pale boy in his arms.

"Or take you home with me."

Gee looked up, a soft blush colouring his cheeks, and a small smile on his thin lips.

"M-me too."

Frank grinned.

"If I took you home, I'd wrap you up in blankets, feed you waffles and hold you close while we watched crappy movies...sound good?"

It sounded amazing, but Gee knew it was an unattainable dream. He nodded slightly.

"I'd l-like that...I wish we c-could."

Frank pressed his lips to Gee's forehead.

"Maybe we can...what would your parents say about you going for a sleepover?"

Gee looked away.

"It...it's just my d-dad...and he'd l-likely kill me if I asked..."

Gee's eyes widened as he realised what he'd just admitted.

"I mean...he...err...he'd not b-be happy."

He looked down at the floor, feeling his body start to shake again. Frank tilted his chin up and kissed his pretty lips lightly.

"Gee?...are you afraid of him?...has he...has he hurt you?"

Gee felt tears crowd his eyes, and he tried to stop them from falling. He wanted to look away, to not let Frank see the truth in his eyes, but Frank's fingertips still held his chin gently in place, and even though it would be easy to break free, a part of him didn't want to, the same part that wanted to just tell Frank everything, and have the older man save him from his misery...but he couldn't...and after a moment, he turned his face away.

"No..."

He whispered.

"He sh-shouts, but n-nothing else."

Frank could tell Gee was lying, but wasn't sure what to do about it as right now they were both in danger of being late to class. He sighed, stroking Gee's long hair.

"We should go to class, before we both get bollocked for being late."

Gee giggled slightly, the sound turning into a kind of hiccup because of his tears. He looked back at Frank, his smile falling away.

"I have gym c-class...I don't w-want to go."

Frank pushed himself up onto his feet, lifting Gee's meagre weight up with him, his arms still wrapped around the boy's tiny body.

"You're not..."

He grinned.

"After what those little bastards did to you, I'm not letting you out of my sight today..."

Gee looked at him, stunned.

"You're gonna sit in on my classes...I can send someone to each of your teachers to get whatever work you need to do...that's..."

Frank looked hopefully into Gee's eyes.

"That's if you want to do that?"

Gee's face lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh y-yes..."

He exclaimed quietly.

"P-please?"

Frank smiled and leaned in, carefully kissing Gee's lips.

"No problem baby. I told you I'd keep you safe."

Once Gee's blush had subsided a bit, Frank led him out of the supply closet and back to his classroom. The teacher who had covered his homeroom frowned at Frank.

"Not a great first impression to make on your first day, Mr. Iero."

Frank rolled his eyes.

"And would you leave a student who you'd just seen being attacked, to cope with that alone?"

The teacher...who Gee thought was from the Spanish department, though he didn't know her name...balked slightly, her smug expression falling.

"A-attacked?..."

She stuttered, looking at the slightly shaking teenager. Frank raised an eyebrow at her, challenging her to keep complaining.

"Well...err...no...no, of course not."

"Well then..."

Frank said, effectively ending the discussion.

"I have decided that Gee will sit in on my classes today, so would you please inform all of his teachers, and ask that his assignments be brought to my room? Thank you..."

Frank didn't wait for a reply, and simply steered Gee over to his desk.

"Sit down and I'll sort out a place for you..."

Gee nodded as he sat down behind Frank's desk, and immediately felt everyone's eyes watching him. He hung his head and hid in his hair.  
Frank grabbed an empty seat from the back of the room and stood it next to his own chair.

"Here you go Gee..."

Then he grinned.

"And look what I found."

"My bag!..."

Gee cheered slightly, gaining a giggle from Frank, and causing his own cheeks to pink.

"I th-thought Tyler and them would've t-taken it, or destroyed i-it..."

He moved into the other seat and opened his bag.

"Wow..."

He breathed in awe.

"Everything's s-still here...even my s-sketch book."

Gee really couldn't believe his luck. Maybe today would be alright after all.  
As Frank took attendance, Gee decided that perhaps, just perhaps, he would survive these next three months...and maybe, it might have more than a little bit to do with Frank.

Gee sat and quietly drew in his sketchbook through that first class, as he wasn't exactly going to get gym work to do while he was there.  
Frank was teaching his class about cross hatching, a subject that Gee was well versed in already, but these were freshmen, so it was unsurprising that they were all pretty clueless.

Once Frank had set them to the task of shading a picture using this technique, he sat at his desk, and couldn't help but stare at the pale boy, and the way that the tip of his tongue poked out when he was concentrating. Frank thought it adorable.

Gee felt eyes on him and looked up. Frank grinned at him and Gee blushed pink, dropping his head back down and hiding in his hair. Frank chuckled, then stood up and walked to Gee's side, crouching next to his desk so they could speak without being overheard.

"You ok?..."

He asked softly. Gee nodded, keeping his head down.

"You sure?"

Gee looked up through his lashes at Frank.

"Y-yeah..."

He whispered.

"I'm o-ok."

Frank smiled, then looked at Gee's drawing. It was a new piece, as Gee felt it would be awkward if he was caught drawing Frank.  
In the picture was a sweet shop, with steps down to the sidewalk, and shutters and flowers at the windows. It was Rosebud's, complete with the faded sign over the door that Gee kept offering to repaint, and sat on the step was a thin broken boy, and an older woman who looked a lot like Rosy. But the boy didn't look quite so broken, as his smile was almost as wide as her's, and he wasn't so thin, as he sat there with a cookie in his hand.  
Frank smiled.

"I like it...this is a happy picture...it's what you want, isn't it?"

Gee nodded.

"It's kinda how I feel when I'm with Rosy...sh-she makes the b-bad go away."

Frank nodded in understanding.

"I had someone like that when I was younger..."

He remembered the last time he'd seen Joseph.

"There was this record shop near my house...the owner, Joseph, let me stay there for hours, just listening to music and helping him tidy the records. I didn't want to go home cause mom and dad were always fighting, and Joseph was just there for me."

"Just like Rosy."

Gee smiled, their eyes meeting and Gee's heart fluttering in his chest. Frank smiled sadly.

"Yeah..."

He sighed.

"He passed away a couple years ago now, but I was with him at the end. He taught me how to play guitar and how to be who I am, and not who everyone else wants me to be."

"He s-sounds like a good man."

"The best."

A tear slipped from Frank's eye that he quickly brushed away, clearing his throat and standing as a girl at the back called for his attention. He gave Gee a quick smile, then went to help the freshman. Gee breathed shakily and continued with his drawing.

When the bell rang, Frank dismissed his class and watched as they all hustled out the door, then closed it and went to sit at his desk. They could talk for a couple minutes now, before the next class, a group of rowdy juniors, turned up.  
Gee looked up from his picture.

"I'm supposed to be in m-math next."

He said, grimacing. Frank laughed.

"Yeah...someone brought your worksheets along already..."

He picked them up and took them over to Gee's desk, handing them to him, and purposefully letting their fingers brush against one another.

"Don't ask me for help though...I suck at math..."

Gee giggled, and Frank grinned wide.

"That's my favourite sound in the world..."

Gee blushed red and hid in his hair again.

"But these worksheets?..."

He shook his head, Gee looked up, questioningly.

"They're like some next level evil shit."

Gee laughed, looking at the sheets...he had to concur.

"You're right...calculus is the w-work of the devil."

A knock came at the classroom door. Frank rolled his eyes at Gee and gave a wry smile, then went to let in his next class.

"Come in, come in...everyone take a seat. I'm Mr. Iero...welcome to my class..."

He shot Gee a wink then turned back to his class.

"Today we're going to learn about negative space."

Gee grinned, cause he remembered learning that last year, then he looked at his worksheets and groaned internally, cause this was reeeeally gonna suck.

"Question 1: True or False. The two functions f and g defined by f(x) = 3x + 3 for x real and g(t) = 3t + 3 for t real and positive are equal?"

Gee read the question quietly to himself no fewer than five times before he realised that he had absolutely no idea what it meant. He sighed, glancing over to where Frank was helping some blonde girl who thought she was the prettiest thing going, but in reality, her eyes were too big, her nose was too small, and the perfectly white teeth she kept flashing at Frank as she attempted to flirt with him were just too white and too fucking perfect.

Gee grimaced as the girl placed her hand on Frank's knee, and almost laughed out loud when he gave her a stern look and asked her kindly, and maybe a little louder than entirely necessary, to remove her hand before he sends her to see the principal.

The girl turned an impressive shade of red as her classmates actually did laugh, then ducked her head and got on with her work, proving that she hadn't actually needed help in the first place.

As Frank moved to help someone else, his eyes flicked to Gee's, and he winked. Gee blushed a soft pink and looked back at his worksheet.

"Question 1: True or False. The two functions f and g defined by f(x) = 3x + 3 for x real and g(t) = 3t + 3 for t real and positive are equal?"

It still made no sense, and may as well have been written an Arabic.  
Gee was good at math, but this was ridiculous! Why were there so many letters in a math problem anyway?...wasn't math supposed to be numbers?...and how was, whatever the fuck that question was meant to be, going to be of any use whatsoever when he left school?

Gee sighed and seriously considered slamming his head into the desk, just so he didn't have to contemplate that dumb question again.

"Problem?"

Gee jumped as Frank spoke quietly next to his left ear. He turned wide eyes to the older man. He was shaking slightly, and his heart was hammering in his chest. Frank smiled softly.

"Didn't mean to scare you."

Gee relaxed, offering a shaky smile.

"You j-just made me j-jump."

Frank looked at Gee's worksheet. Gee had written his name at the top, but other than that, the page was untouched.

"Stuck?"

Gee nodded.

"I d-don't unders-st-stand this qu-question."

He pointed to the first problem and winced.

"Question 1: True or False. The two functions f and g defined by f(x) = 3x + 3 for x real and g(t) = 3t + 3 for t real and positive are equal?...That's math?..."

Frank shook his head, eyebrows raised high.

"Sorry, but that looks like a two year old took a load of letter and number blocks and put them in a random order...it's completely foreign to me."

He smiled sympathetically at the shy boy.

"Were you learning this shit before the break?"

Gee shook his head.

"My math t-teacher always does this...throws a n-new section of the s-syllabus at us without explaining a thing...it's a w-wonder any of us pass his class."

"Well that's bullshit!..."

Frank exclaimed, blushing slightly when his outburst attracted more attention than he'd intended. He lowered his voice again.

"Has anyone ever called him on it?"

Gee shrugged.

"Couple of kids did...he g-gave them detentions for a w-week."

"Shiiiiit."

Frank drew out quietly. Looking round to make sure no one was watching, Frank ran his fingertips lightly over the back of Gee's hand and smiled at him.

"I'll have a word if you like?"

He suggested, gazing into Gee's pretty eyes...God, he wanted to kiss him so bad.

"Would you?"

It took Frank's brain a second to realise that Gee wasn't asking if he would kiss him...cause the kissing thing had just been a thought in his head, and not spoken out loud.

"Of course...I'll set up a meeting with your teacher and the principle, and I'll see what I can get done. Your principle was apparently kinda desperate when I accepted the job, cause no one else would take it, so I really don't think he wants to get me offside on my first day here...do you?"

He tangled his fingertips with Gee's beneath the desk. Gee shook his head.

"N-no. I g-guess not."

He smiled, his cheeks darkening a little as Frank continued to gaze at him.  
After a minute...or an hour, Gee wasn't sure...a voice broke through their little moment.

"Get a room."

Laughter sounded out and Frank's eyes widened. Gee dropped his head and pulled his fingers free, curling them in his lap. Frank stood and rounded on the class. The look on his face halted their laughter immediately.

"Who said that?"

Silence. Frank looked around all of the faces...they all looked guilty as Hell.

"Well...if no one's going to own up, I guess you will all be joining me for detention."

The class groaned as one, then a hand slowly raised at the back. Frank saw it and searched his memory for a name to go with the purple hair and septum ring.

"Yes Adam?"

The boy looked up, then silently pointed to...surprise surprise...the girl with the too white teeth who Frank had minorly humiliated before. Frank looked over and sighed.

"Alison..."

Frank said as if he was fast losing the will to live...Gee could relate.

"Yes sir?"

She asked innocently.

"Detention."

"WHAT?!...You can't do that sir!..."

She screeched, jumping to her feet in annoyance.

"It's the first day."

She whined, like that made a difference. Frank raised an eyebrow.

"And that's my problem how?"

Gee bit his lip to hold in a giggle...others in the class didn't bother to hold back.

"Now, sit down and get on with your work."

"But but..."

Alison stammered, but with a look from Frank, she complied.

"Yes sir."

She mumbled as she went back to drawing the negative space of an apple that was sat on her desk. Frank looked at Gee and smiled softly.

"You ok?"

He mouthed from where he stood. Gee smiled shyly and nodded slightly.

Class continued for another ten minutes.

"Question 1: True or False. The two functions f and g defined by f(x) = 3x + 3 for x real and g(t) = 3t + 3 for t real and positive are equal?"

By the time the bell rang for end of first, Gee was still no closer to working out if the answer was true, or false.  
The class emptied quickly when Frank dismissed everyone, then they were alone again.

"I don't have a class this period..."

Frank said as he closed the door. Gee looked up from his still empty worksheet and smiled.

"I have your work for your next class though."

Gee groaned, and this time he did bang his head on the table.

***

Frank watched Gee working on the lesson he'd been set for that period. It was Spanish, and Gee was actually pretty good at it, so he was able to get the work done easily.

Frank saw Gee's little pink tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth again as he concentrated, and it sent a shiver through the older man. He looked away. It would be inappropriate and highly unproductive to get a boner right now.

He went to look out of the window. It was starting to rain...the world outside becoming wet and grey. Frank sighed and turned around...his eyes automatically returning to the black haired boy who had so quickly caught his attention.

Gee was moving his lips as he silently read one of the questions to himself. Frank wanted to hear him speak the words aloud, but didn't want to disturb him. He sighed again and crossed to his desk, flopping down in his chair. Gee looked up, tilting his head curiously.

"You ok?"

He asked quietly. Frank smiled, standing again to walk over to him. He crouched down with one hand on Gee's desk to steady himself.

"Say something in Spanish."

"Say what?"

"Anything...I just want to hear it."

Gee blushed, lowering his head to hide in his hair. He hesitated, and Frank thought he wasn't going to speak...then...

"Estoy muy contento de empezar a trabajar aquí, Frankie."

Gee whispered out quietly, looking up through his hair. Frank grinned.

"What does it mean?"

Gee giggled.

"It...it means 'I am really happy you started working here, Frankie.'"

Frank grinned wide.

"And how do I say 'so am I.'?"

Gee smiled softly.

"Yo también."

"Yo también?"

Gee nodded and Frank smiled, reaching up to tuck Gee's hair behind his ear.

"Sei molto bella la mia dolce."

Frank cooed. Gee tilted his head with a small frown.

"That's n-not Spanish...is it Italian?..."

Frank nodded.

"What did you s-say?"

"I said; 'You are very beautiful my sweet.'"

Gee giggled.

"Any you are a very ch-cheesy liar."

"Who's lying?"

"You..."

Gee looked down, his hair falling in his face again.

"I'm n-not beautiful."

Frank frowned slightly, placing two fingers under the boy's chin and gently lifting it until their eyes could meet again.

"Yes...you are..."

He took a breath.

"Can I kiss you?"

Gee's eyes widened, his cheeks pinking and his tongue unconsciously wetting his lips. Frank felt his pants tightening.

"Ok."

Gee whispered after a moment. Frank smiled and leaned in, softly connecting their lips.  
The kiss was sweet and chaste and over way too quickly. Frank ended the kiss when he pulled back a little and smiled, his thumb gently stroking Gee's pink cheek.

"Bellissimo."

He breathed. The bell rang and Frank smiled sadly.

"I'm afraid it's the seniors in here next..."

He saw Gee start to shrink in on himself again and gently took his hand.

"...but I won't let them hurt you. You know that, right?"

Gee nodded shyly, his head down again as the sound of teenagers in the hallway outside grew, and a knock sounded on the door.  
Frank kissed Gee's pale fingers then released them and stood. He headed over to open the door, but turned around before unlocking it.

"Gee?..."

The boy looked up, worry clear on his face. Frank smiled softly at him.

"Trust me...you'll be fine."

Then he turned and opened the door to usher in the monsters who spent almost every hour of their school lives torturing poor Gee. Gee took a breath...he prayed that Frank could keep them all in line.

As the senior class filed in, Frank watched them take their seats, and saw Gee curling in on himself again and trying to hide in his hair. Most of Gee's homeroom class were there, including Tyler, Dick and Meadow...this was going to be interesting.

Once everyone was seated, Frank closed the door a little louder than necessary, getting everyone's attention. The class fell into an uneasy silence as they could see anger in their teacher's eyes.

"So..."

Frank began, pacing over to the front of the class.

"I'm Mr. Iero, but if you can't pronounce that, then call me sir..."

He looked around the nervous faces, purposely not looking at Gee right now.

"The majority of you are in my homeroom class, but we didn't exactly get to meet this morning, did we?..."

A few weak laughs sounded out, but stopped quickly.

"For those of you not in my homeroom, don't worry, you're not in trouble and I look forward to meeting you in a few minutes. For all you little shits that I have the unfortunate pleasure of having seen first thing this morning...you are in trouble."

Gee watched through his hair as Frank coolly and calmly admonished the ones who'd watched and laughed as he was hurt and humiliated. He then watched as Frank turned to the three assholes who had done the hurting.

"...and as for you three, I will not tolerate such behaviour in my class, or anywhere else. I will not have the three of you in my classroom, and if I can manage it, I will have you thrown out of this school, permanently. Now, leave my classroom and report to the principle...he's expecting you."

"Y' can't do that mister...y' can't chuck us out!"

Meadow screeched in her annoyingly whiny voice.

"I can, and I am. Now leave."

Frank pointed to the door, his eyes firmly on the trio.

"Fucking asshole cunt..."

Tyler spat as he got up and headed to the door, the other two following close behind him.

"Not like we want to learn about faggy art shit anyway."

He slammed out of the door and the three teenagers disappeared off down the hallway...away from the principle's office. Frank sighed and walked over to close the door with a soft click. He took a breath, then turned back to the class.

"Well, now that's dealt with, let's get on..."

Gee smiled from behind his curtain of hair, perhaps he could make it through these next three months in one piece after all.

"So, those of you who are from my homeroom, you all have detention after school..."

A collective groan sounded around the room. Frank gave the teens a look and they all fell silent again.

"I will not be taking the detention, you'll have the pleasure of Mr. Willis' company today..."

Another groan, because Mr. Willis was known for being a seriously grumpy bastard at the best of times, but if he had to stay late with a bunch of trouble makers, he could be a downright asshole...as Frank knew from personal experience, as the man had been there for forever.

"Now, as I'm new here, I'd like to get to know you all, so we're going to go around the class and each of you is going to stand up, tell me your full name, the name you prefer to be called, your preferred pronoun, and what you want to do when you leave school..."

He saw a few slightly confused faces at the pronoun bit, but he figured they would work it out by listening to the others.

"So let's start with you."

He pointed to the girl sat in the front row, nearest the door. She blushed a rather unflattering shade of red, then stood up and began.

Gee listened as one after another, the students stood and said their piece. Without exception, the pronouns matched each teen's born gender, and Gee got more nervous by the minute. Should he just say what was expected?...should he lie?

There were two people left before Gee's turn. They were sat behind him and he was pretty sure he didn't know them...they must've been new. The first one stood and spoke clearly.

"Hi, my name's Joshua Dun, or Josh. I go by he/him pronouns, and I want to be a musician."

He smiled as he sat down and Gee noticed him give his companion's hand a little squeeze for reassurance. Josh's friend looked totally freaked out, but the hand squeeze and smile calmed him a little. He stood up.

"Hi, I'm Ryan Ross, but I prefer to be called Ry...I...I go by she/her pronouns..."

A murmur went around the room, hushed quickly by Frank clearing his throat. Ry looked down, trying to hide in her hair...unsuccessfully.

"I want to be a musician too."

She mumbled, then sat down quickly. Gee knew he needed to get to know these two. Right now though, it was his turn. He stood up shakily, keeping one hand on his desk for support and his head lowered.

"H-hi, I'm G-Gerard W-Way, but I p-prefer Gee..."

He said quietly, staring at the ground.

"I g-go by...by th-they/th-them and I w-want to be an artist."

He sat down fast, and tried to disappear inside Frank's cardigan. Frank took a breath, he hadn't even thought that Gee would go by anything other than he/him...but it kind of made sense, now that he thought about it.

"Ok then..."

He said to the class to gather everyone's attention back and stop the quiet gossiping that was now going through the classroom.

"Well I guess it's only fair that I do me too, huh...so hi, I'm Frank Iero, but my friends call me Frank. I go by he/him pronouns, and I'm doing exactly what I wanted to do when I left school..."

He looked at the clock on the wall and saw they still had twenty minutes left.

"So, I'm going to give you all your first project, and that is to draw yourself. Now I'm not looking for a picture of what you look like now, but what you hope to look like in five years time. This can be done in any medium you choose, and you have three weeks to complete it. Please, collect whatever materials you need, and begin. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves, but please keep the volume low, ok?"

A murmur of agreement went around the room and then most of the class was getting up to fetch what they needed. Frank looked over at Gee and saw that he had his sketch book open and was hunched over it already, he smiled fondly at the sight, then walked over.

"Hey, you ok?"

Gee looked up, his hair falling away from his face...he looked even paler than usual. He nodded.

"Y-yeah. I j-just don't like t-talking in front of p-people."

Frank sighed, crouching down next to Gee's table and lowering his voice so no one else would hear.

"That was very brave before...I'm proud of you."

Gee smiled slightly.

"I wasn't going t-to say that...if it w-wasn't for Ry."

"I get that. Hey, maybe you should talk to her...could help you both I think."

Gee nodded.

"Yeah, I was th-thinking that too."

Frank smiled.

"It's lunch next, I'll ask her to stay back for a minute if you like...Josh too."

"Ok, thanks Frankie."

Gee blushed, glancing around to make sure no one heard them using the nickname...no one had. Frank smiled.

"You're adorable. Get to work."

He winked quickly, then stood up and stepped over to Ry and Josh's table. Gee sighed, happy for the first time in a long time. This last three months were probably going to be the best of his whole school career...he hoped so anyway.

When the bell for lunch rang, Frank cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Good work today guys, see you next time..."

The class started to empty quickly with murmurs and quiet laughter as Frank looked over at Gee. They were still drawing, the bell hadn't stopped them like the rest and it made Frank smile to see the concentration and passion on the beautiful boy's face, his tongue stuck out like before. Frank waited until only Gee, Josh and Ry remained, then he closed the door and shut out the noise of kids in the hallway. He turned and smiled, seeing Josh with his arm around Ry's shoulders, quietly talking in her ear. She giggled at whatever he said before the pair turned to look at their teacher.

"Thanks for staying behind guys, I just thought you and Gee should get to know each other."

Gee looked up at the sound of their name coming from Frank's lips.

"Huh?"

Frank chuckled.

"Class is over Gee, it's lunchtime..."

Gee smiled. Frank had kept them safe like he said he would.

"Josh and Ry stayed to talk."

He nodded toward the two that were sat behind Gee. Gee turned in their seat, offering a shy smile that was returned brightly by Josh, and timidly by Ry.

"Hi, I'm Josh and this is Ry...nice to meet you."

Gee swallowed nervously.

"Um..h-hi. I'm G-Gee."

Frank could see how scared the boy was and he just wanted to hold them and reassure them that everything was ok...but he couldn't. He grabbed a chair and moved it over to sit a couple feet away from the group. He hoped his nearness would help Gee.

"You two might not have realised yet, but this school tends to not be that accepting of people they consider as different. Having friends who understand can make a Hell of a lot of difference to how your days go here...you understand?"

"We've noticed it's not the friendliest place..."

Josh began.

"So yeah, having friends would be good..."

He looked at Gee.

"...for all of us."

Gee looked nervously at Frank, then at the two new students. They nodded shyly.

"Yeah, I...I g-guess so."

Josh grinned.

"Cool, right Ry?"

Ry nodded, her eyes glued to the desk. Frank wondered if this was just "meeting new people" nerves, or if there was a deeper issue. He hoped the three teenagers could help each other.

"So I was thinking, if any of you need a quiet place away from the little assholes that roam this school, I'd like to offer my classroom during breaks...if you'd like?"

"That sounds cool..."

Josh said with a smile.

"We might take you up on it if things are bad, but I think we might try seeing how the cafeteria is first."

Frank grimaced slightly.

"Well if the food is anything like when I went here, you're gonna be better off bringing your lunch in."

"That bad?"

"Awful! I've been a vegetarian since I was 10, and the only thing I could eat here were the fries...and they were soggy."

"Ew..."

Gee wrinkled their nose.

"That's nasty."

Frank chuckled, happy that the boy was joining the conversation. He also thought the nose thing was really cute.

"Yeah, but things might've changed now, I don't know."

Josh nodded and smiled, softly squeezing Ry's shoulder.

"Well I think we'll go see what there is. We'll let you know if the fries are still gross..."

He looked at Gee, raising his eyebrows a little.

"You wanna come with?"

Gee's eyes went wide and they shook their head quickly.

"I d-don't go th-there."

Frank saw the boy start to tremble, their breath becoming shaky.

"It's ok, you can stay here if you want."

Gee turned grateful eyes his way, sniffing back unshed tears.

"Th-thank you."

Frank smiled softly at them, almost forgetting that the others were there. After a second, lost in the boy's pretty eyes, Frank blinked and looked back at Josh and Ry...who were both looking at him with curious expressions.

"Um, so uh...if you want to come back after you've checked out the cafeteria, you're welcome to."

"Thanks, we just might do that..."

Josh stood up, pulling Ry up with him and grabbing both of their bags. He looked at Gee with a smile.

"Catch you later Gee."

Gee nodded and smiled softly back, then the new pair left, closing the door after them. Frank sighed deeply, turning his eyes to the quiet black haired boy.

"Alone at last..."

Gee giggled slightly.

"So, what've you got for lunch?"

"Oh err...well R-Rosie made me a sandwich and I've g-got an apple too. What about you?"

Frank reached out and carefully took Gee's delicate fingers in his...now that he could.

"I brought a salad from home..."

He stroked his thumb over Gee's knuckles.

"Can I...kiss you?"

Gee's cheeks turned a pretty pink and they bit their lower lip, looking up at Frank through their lashes. After a moment, they nodded silently. Frank smiled, reaching up with his free hand to gently cup the boy's cheek, then leaned in to softly press his lips to Gee's. Gee melted into the kiss, a small whine leaving their throat. Frank pulled gently on the boy's hand and Gee got the message, moving out of their seat and into Frank's lap. Frank wrapped both his arms around Gee's thin body, holding them close as he kissed them sweetly.

After a minute, Gee pulled back for air. Their cheeks were flushed, their eyes were glazed and their lips were swollen, red and slick...Frank had never seen anything as beautiful in his entire life. He raised his hand to tuck Gee's long hair behind their right ear.

"So beautiful..."

He breathed. Gee looked down, shaking their head. Frank lifted Gee's chin with two fingers.

"Don't hide baby...you're beautiful whether you know it or not."

"But they..."

Gee trailed off, remembering the cruel words they'd been called so many times. Frank shook his head.

"Whatever those jerks said...it's not true."

Gee sighed, leaning against Frank's chest, their head resting on their teacher's shoulder.

"When s-so many people tell you something enough t-times...you start to believe it..."

They looked up at Frank with wide eyes...more innocent than their horrible life had made them.

"Is it wrong that I d-don't want Josh and Ry to c-come back?...I like it with just you here."

Frank laughed softly, pressing a kiss to the boy's nose.

"You're so sweet. No, it's not wrong...or if it is, then we're wrong together."

Gee smiled and sighed, resting their head again.

"We should eat, I guess."

Frank hummed his agreement.

"Yeah, we should."

Neither one of them made a move to get up.

***

Lunch went by way too fast, and before they knew it, the bell rang calling students to their lessons. Gee sighed and slipped off of Frank's lap, where they'd spent the last forty-five minutes quietly talking and eating their sandwich, and returned to their seat.

"Who've you g-got now?"

They asked quietly as Frank packed away the box he'd brought his salad in. Frank looked up and grinned.

"Freshmen...should be fun."

Gee tilted their head.

"You like teaching the l-little ones?"

Frank chuckled, nodding. He walked back to Gee's side and leaned down to press a small kiss to the boy's pink lips.

"Yeah I do. They don't know much so there's lots to teach. So, the last two work sheets I was given for you are for history and creative writing...which do you want first?"

Gee considered the options for a moment.

"I think...history. I'll get it out of the w-way."

There was a knock on the door and Frank turned to go open it. After he'd let in the twenty or so fourteen year olds, he went to his desk and fetched Gee's history paper. He walked over and handed it to the boy with a soft smile.

"If you need any help, just ask..."

Gee nodded and Frank returned to the front of the class.

"Ok ok, settle down class..."

He waited for everyone to sit down before he continued.

"Welcome class. I'm Mr. Iero, but you can call me Mr. I."

Gee watched Frank for a few minutes before turning their attention to their history work. There was a text book with a work sheet inside as a bookmark. Gee opened the book and read the chapter title...Medieval Weapons and their Modern Equivalents. They sighed, at least they knew a little something about swords and things, this shouldn't be too hard. The work sheet said they had to read the chapter, then pick two of the medieval weapons spoken about, and write about them in their own words...fun. They set to work.

Once Frank had taken attendance and set the freshmen to their first task, he sat down at his desk and watched Gee busily writing on their work sheet. They had their tongue poking out of the corner of their mouth and was clearly concentrating really hard...Frank thought it was adorable. If Gee had looked to be struggling, then Frank would've gone to offer his assistance...but they weren't, so Frank just sat and watched, admiring the beautiful boy and trying not to get a hard-on.

When the bell rang again, it seemed to startle Gee as the boy jumped, their pen flying from their fingers to clatter onto the floor. Blushing pink, they got up and went to fetch it, then returned to their seat, avoiding Frank's amused eyes. Frank released the freshmen and shut the door...5 minutes peace before his final class arrived.

"How was history?"

He asked with a smirk. Gee shrugged slightly.

"Ok. Weapons and stuff."

They answered quietly. Frank walked over and crouched down next to them, reaching out to gently cup Gee's pink cheek, hoping to get the boy to look up.

"Are you ok baby?"

Gee looked up, a tiny smile tracing their lips. They nodded.

"Tired."

Frank sighed.

"If I could, I'd scoop you up right now and take you home with me."

"I'd...I'd like that."

"Me too. How about a cuddle before the next lot arrives?"

Gee nodded, their smile widening as Frank sat himself on one of the other chairs and opened his arms. Gee giggled quietly and climbed into Frank's lap, wrapping their arms around their teacher's neck and resting their head on his shoulder.

"Can I...can I tell you something?"

"Of course baby, you can tell me anything."

Gee looked up, they knew that wasn't true, they couldn't tell him about their dad. They could tell him this though.

"I...I'm really happy you c-came here."

They didn't say that Frank coming had possibly saved their life...no need to tell him that.

"I'm happy too baby. So happy I met you."

Gee smiled and started to hesitantly lean in for a shy kiss...when there was a loud knock on the door. Gee's cheeks turned red and they moved to go back to their chair. Frank wanted that kiss though, and held onto them, carefully pressing his lips to the boy's. After a minute he pulled back and let Gee go. Gee returned to their seat with their head down to hide their burning cheeks behind a curtain of hair as Frank went to open the door.

Again, once Frank had the class settled, he went to Gee and gave them their creative writing task, then sat back at his desk.

About ten minutes into the class, Gee looked up and found Frank looking right at them. They smiled at each other, then Gee stood up and walked over to Frank's desk.

"Can I...use the b-bathroom please...sir?"

They all but whispered. Frank smiled and nodded.

"Sure. Come right back though."

Gee nodded, then slipped out of the room.

When they walked into the men's bathroom, they knew straight away that they'd made an epic mistake. There, cutting class, smoking and drinking what Gee was sure was vodka, were Tyler, Dick and Meadow. Gee tried to back out before they saw them, but it was too late. The two asshole boys had Gee face first on the ground in seconds as they rained blow after blow down on them...Meadow laughing and cheering them on from her perch on the edge of the sinks.

Gee tried to scream, but one of the boys stuffed something into their mouth, making them choke as panic set in. Gee felt heavy boots strike their body, bones breaking, skin splitting as their consciousness faded. Everything seemed to be in slow motion, though still too fast for any hope of escape. All Gee could hope for now...was to die.

As their vision blackened and they started to slip away, there was only one thing they could think of, one good memory from their shitty life...Frank.

Gee's thin body went limp and after a few more kicks, the boys stopped their assault, standing back and panting for breath.

"Is 'e dead?"

Meadow asked with a lot more cheer than entirely necessary.

"Don't think so."

Tyler grunted.

"I need a piss!"

Dick stated, opening his pants and preceding to urinate on Gee's bleeding body...while the other two laughed riotously.

"Dude! If I didn't go ten minutes ago..."

Tyler laughed, leaning back on the wall to watch.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

He said as Dick did up his flies with a grin. Dick and Meadow agreed, and they all left.

(Time passes)

Gee didn't know how long they'd been out for, but they guessed it hadn't been very long, else someone would've found them. Wincing at the smell of urine in their hair, and nearly throwing up at the pain in every inch of their body, Gee shakily pulled themself to their feet, swaying and catching hold of the sink for support. When another wave of nausea passed, they limped slowly from the room.

Gee didn't go back to class, they couldn't face anyone like this. Slowly, they headed for home...fuck school, and fuck everyone in it.

(Time passes)

Frank was worried. Gee had gone to the bathroom over half an hour ago, and they'd not returned. This could not be good.

He wanted to go check on the fragile boy, but this class seemed particularly needy and disruptive, so he'd not felt able to leave...until the bell rang for the end of the day. With just a couple quick words to the class, Frank ran out, heading straight for the nearest boy's room. When he opened the door and looked in...and saw blood on the floor...

"Shit!...Gee."

The room was empty so Frank headed to the nurses office, maybe Gee went there. Unfortunately, no. Frank was starting to panic, his throat felt tight and he could feel tears trying to break free...he had to find Gee.

Ignoring the odd looks he was getting from literally everyone, he rushed to the main office and begged the receptionist for the boy's address. It took some persuading, but eventually she handed it over and Frank thanked her and left, running out to his car and jumping in before heading straight for the address he'd been given.

When he arrived, he leaped from his car without even turning it on and ran up to the front door. He rang the doorbell repeatedly until the door was flung open by a large man who looked to be about a dozen cans into a drinking binge already. He didn't look happy either.

"What d'ya want?"

He demanded. Frank swallowed, catching his breath.

"Gee. Is...is Gee here?"

The drunk man, who Frank presumed was Gee's father, glared down at him.

"You Frank?"

Frank's eyes widened.

"Y-yes?"

Gee's dad grabbed something off of a table just inside the door and shoved it at Frank. It looked to be an envelope. Frank took it.

"Now fuck off."

The drunk spat before slamming the door in Frank's face. Frank stood there in shock for a few moments before shaking his head in confusion and heading back to his car. He climbed in slowly and shut the door, then looked at the envelope in his hands. On the front were the words...

_**To Frank** _

Swallowing thickly, cause he thought he might throw up, Frank carefully opened the envelope and tipped out the contents...a single sheet of paper, folded neatly in half. Fingers trembling, Frank unfolded the paper and read.

_**If I'm not here in the morning, just smile and get on with your life. Don't look for me...I'll be gone!** _

_**Frank, from the second I saw you, I fell. You can never understand what today has meant to me, but please know this...you've made me happier than I've ever been.** _

_**Love you always...G. xxx** _

The message was simple, and Frank knew just what it meant...Gee was gone, and they were not coming back. Frank cried.

***

 

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***

 

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***

***time stamp...three years later, New York City***

Frank Iero was walking through Central Park on a beautiful Fall day. It was nearly a year since he moved to the city and took a new job at some posh boys' private school that he couldn't stand...but he just couldn't stay in Belleville any longer...too many ghosts.

Not a day went by that he didn't think of that beautiful black haired boy with the soft eyes and sweet lips. He wondered where they'd ended up, and if they'd found what they was searching for...he hoped that they had. He hoped they were ok.

Stepping off of the pathway, Frank headed across the grass toward a pretzel vendor. He bought one and a can of Coke, then headed further into the park to find somewhere quieter to sit and enjoy his break. After a few minutes, he sat down on an empty bench.

Watching children play on the grass opposite, Frank didn't notice at first when someone quietly sat down next to him. After a minute, the stranger spoke.

"Hi Frank, long time no see."

Frank turned his head and hissed in a shocked breath at who was there.

"Gee?"

Gee smiled softly, pushing their long black hair from their pale face as the wind caught it. Frank had thought the boy beautiful before, but now they looked amazing, and really fucking happy. Gee giggled.

"I missed you Frank."

Frank smiled genuinely for the first time in three long years.

"Me too Gee. Me too."

 

 

 

_The End._


End file.
